Panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal

ABSTRACT

A PANEL STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR THIN GAUGE SHEET METAL IS PROVIDED WHICH COMPRISES GROUPS OF UPPER STRAIGHTENING ROLLS MOUNTED IN TWO CHOCKS TILTABLE ABOUT A COMMON HINGE AT THE BOTTOM ENDS OF THEIR NEIGHBOURING SIDES, WHEREAS THE TOP OF EACH CHOCK IS HINGEABLY ATTACHED TO TWO AND PREFERABLY AT LEAST FOUR PRESS RODS PERMITTING THE CHOCKS TO BE ADJUSTED BY DEFLECTION ABOUT THEIR COMMON HINGE.

Sept 21, 1971 w. scHLUTl-:R 3,606,784

PANEL STRAIGHTENING MACHINE FOR THIN GAUGE SHEET METAL Filed April 16, 1969 45) 51 26 27 2s 29 ao'af. f. fl L /nrenfon WA LTE/Z 5CH/ Urge 5ba, my www ATTYS.

United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 72-165 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal is provided which comprises groups of upper straightening rolls mounted in two chocks tiltable about a common hinge at the bottom ends of their neighbouring sides, whereas the top of each chock is hingeably attached to two and preferably at least four press rods permitting the chocks to be adjusted by deiiection about their common hinge.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal comprising groups of bottom and upper straightening rolls mounted in tiltable chocks.

The purpose of such a machine is to submit sheet metal panels that are not perfectly flat, such as panels that are buckled, to a thorough working by the straightening rolls to remove internal stress and at the same time to iiatten the buckles and to straighten the panels by means of the straightening rolls, principally the final group of rolls.

For straightening panels of different gauge it is the practice so to mount the upper rolls that at least their spacing in relation to the bottom rolls can be varied on the entry and delivery sides of the machine.

In a conventional form of construction of such a sheet metal panel straightening machine the upper straightening rolls are mounted in three chocks, each carrying a like number of rolls, the two outer chocks and their straightening rolls being independently tiltable about a hinge on the chock in the middle, whereas the latter chock is elevationally so adjustable that the resultant symmetry of the arrangement permits a panel that is to be straightened to be fed into either end of the machine and to leave the machine at the other end.

In a machine of this kind a precision adjustment of the rolls on the entry side permits the entry cross section to be set to provide a desired elevational clearance, and tiltable adjustment of the last chock on the delivery side ensures that the panel will be satisfactorily straightened. However, it is a drawback that any readjustment of the chock in the middle for varying the degree of working of the metalas is frequently necessary in actual practicesubstantially affects the preset conditions of adjustment on the entry and delivery sides of the machine. Consequently, operating personnel must be very experienced to adjust the machine correctly to the gauge of the metal and also to achieve the required degree of working, the latter being governed by the setting of the chock in the middle, whilst at the same time ensuring that the panel will satisfactorily run into the machine and be completely straightened by the suitably positioned third chock.

Another drawback is the size of the machine, since the provision of three chocks, each equipped with a like number of straightening rolls, means that the machine must be of considerable length.

3,606,784 Patented Sept. 21, 1971 ice SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide a panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal in which the rolls at the entry and delivery ends as well as the relative spacing of the top and bottom straightening rolls for working the panel in the centre section can be adjusted by reference to operating requirements and to the gauge of the panels without the adjustment of one parameter affecting the existing adjustment of the other parameters, so that less skill is required of the operating personnel and a higher efficiency can be achieved with a simpler machine which at the same time is more compact and therefore requires less space for its erection.

For achieving these objects the present invention provides a panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal which comprises groups of upper straightening rolls mounted in two chocks tiltable about a common hinge at the bottom ends of their neighbouring sides, whereas the top' of each chock is hingeably attached to two and preferably at least four press rods permitting the chocks to be adjusted by deflection about their common hinge.

Particularly when the first chock on the entry side of the machine is shorter than and carries fewer upper straightening rolls than the following second chock, the proposed arrangement has the advantage that the degree of working of the metal is variable by adjustment of the relative straightening rolls without significantly affecting the straightening effect, since the required iiatness of the panels, which is substantially governed by the position of the nal roll triplet, remains substantially unaffected by the degree of working of the panel in the machine. This advantage is more especially secured if the produced longitudinal axis of the last press rod on the delivery side of the machine passes through the axis of rotation of the bottom straightening roll of the final roll triplet, since in such a case the position of the rolls forming this triplet is not relatively changed by the second chock being tilted about its common hinge with the first chock for the purpose of increasing the working effect.

The proposed arrangement can be further simplified by hingeably attaching the neighboring ends of the two chocks to a common screw-down jack in the centre by interposed press rods and the outer ends of the two chocks through interposed press rods to screw-down jacks that are independently controllable. As a result of this arrangement any adjustment of the panel working rolls on one of the chocks necessarily entails a similar adjustment of the corresponding rolls on the other chock.

Preferably the two press rods for attaching the neighbouring ends of the chocks to a common screw-down jack in the centre may be hingeably attached to the latter through an interposed balancing rocker arm and the produced longitudinal axis of the central screw-down jack may be arranged to pass through the common hinge of the two chocks.

In order to make due allowance for displacement of the straightening rolls without impairing the stability of the machine, another desirable feature of the invention consists in slidably guiding the side of the rst chock on the panel entry side of the machine so that it is capable of movement in the elevational and in the panel entry direction, whereas the panel delivery side of the other chock may be hingeably attached to a slipper member which is only elevationally slidably movable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An embodiment of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which the only figure schematically represents a side elevation of a panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal according to the invention.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated machine comprises a machine frame 1 consisting of lateral columns 2 connected at the top by a crosshead 3. Mounted in the crosshead 3- are screwdown jacks of which three, marked 7, 8 and 9, are shown in the drawing, and which are elevationally adjustable in the direction indicated by double-headed arrows 4, and 6. Each of these jacks carries a guide block 10 which is slidable between stationary sideways 11 and 11' and prevents the jacks from being laterally displaced. Three further screw-down jacks are obscured by the jacks shown in the drawing since they are located exactly behind the latter.

The upper end of each of the jacks 7, 8 and 9` is provided with threads 12 which work in a wormwheel 13 adapted to be rotated in either hand by a worm 14 to raise or lower the jack. The three worms 14 and hence the three jacks 7, 8 and 9` are independently operable by means not shown in the drawing.

The bottom ends of the jacks 7, 8 and 9 or their guide members 10 are attached to press rods. More particularly the jack 7 is associated with one press rod 15, `whereas the jack 8 is associated with two press rods 16 and 17, both attached to a balancing rocker 18 which is itself pivotably attached at 19 to the guide member 10. The third jack 9 is again associated with only one press rod 44. Behind this row of press rods 15, 16, 17 and 44 is a second row of press rods which cannot be seen in the drawing since they are disposed in an identical manner to the front row of press rods and associated with the second above-mentioned row of screwdown jacks.

The press rods 15, 16, 17 and 44 and the corresponding press rods in the back row are associated in pairs and each two pairs carry one chock 20 respectively 21, in which the driven upper straightening rolls are mounted. The rst chock 20 which is suspended from the press rods and 16 carries the straightening rolls marked 22, 23 and 24 of an upper bank of rolls, whereas the second chock 21 suspended from the press rods 17 and I44 carries a bank of straightening rolls 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The straightening roll 25 is so tted between both chocks and 21 that it forms a pivot about which the two chocks can tilt. Below the upper bank of straightening rolls 22 to 31, one bottom roll is mounted between each two neighbouring rolls of the upper bank, these bottom rolls being marked 32 to 40. The bottom bank of straightening rolls is so aligned that the roll 40 which is the bottom straightening roll in a linal set comprising the triplet 30, 31 and 40 is located with its axis 41 approximately in the line of thrust 42 of the third jack 9.

In the conventional manner the upper and bottom banks of straightening rolls 22 to 40 are supported by backing rolls generally indicated by the reference numeral 45. The chocks 20 and 21 containing the upper straightening rolls 22 to 31 are guided in two slideways 46 and 47 provided in the columns 2 of the machine frame 1. The outside end of the rst chock 20 is so guided by the slideway 46 that when tilting about the axis of the straightening roll and when being raised and lowered by the jacks 7 and 8 it can slide up and down the slideway 46, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 49, and at the same time shift horizontally, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 48.

The second chock 21 is so guided on the delivery side of the machine by a slipper member 51 working in the slideway 47 that on this side of the machine the chock can move only vertically up and down as indicated by the double-headed arrow 50 and possibly slightly turn on the hinge at 52.

The illustrated machine that has above been described permits the entry wedge, i.e. the gap between the leading upper straightening rolls 22 and 23 and the bottom 4 straightening roll 32 to be so adjusted by raising the leading end of the lrst chock 20 on the entry side of the machine that panels of widely differing gauge can run into the straightening machine in the direction of arrow 153 without having to overcome major resistance.

On the delivery side the jack 9 and possibly the jack 8 may be adjusted and the gap between the upper end rolls 30 and 31 and the bottom end roll 40 so chosen that the panel leaving the machine will be satisfactorily straightened, irrespectively of its gauge. Moreover, by adjusting the central jack 8 the degree of working experienced by the panel can be adapted to existing requirements without changing the entry 'wedge or the position of the rolls in the iinal set of rolls.

Wherever in the foregoing description two or four press rods and three jacks have been referred to with reference to the drawing it will be understood that these numbers relate to the number of elements that are actually visible in the side elevational View in the drawing. Naturally at least one additional press rod and jack will be provided in planes perpendicular to the plane of the drawing containing the axes of the visible press rods and jacks. In other words, for instance the entry and delivery ends of the chocks 20y and 21 and the neighboring ends of the two chocks will each be suspended from at least one pair of press rods of which only the press rods and jacks in the front row are visible in the side elevation shown in the drawing. The following claims are understood to embrace this form of construction.

What is claimed is:

=1. A panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal comprising (a) two rows of cooperating straightening rolls between which a work sheet enters at one end and is discharged at the opposite end, each row containing a plurality of rolls,

(b) two chocks supporting one of said rows of straightening rolls, each chock supporting a plurality of the rolls in said one row, the chock at the entry end supporting a smaller number of rolls than the chock at the discharge end supports,

(c) said two chock being pivoted about a common axis, said common axis being substantially in line 'with the axes of the rolls mounted on each of said chocks, and

(d) means to pivotally adjust each of said chocks to regulate the distance between the rolls of said one row on either side of said common axis and the other of said rows of rolls, the adjustment of one chock being made without effecting the adjustment of the other chock,

(e) whereby the gap between the leading straightening rolls of said two rows at the entry end and between the last straightening rolls of said two rows at the discharge end may be adjusted independently.

2. A panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal comprising (a) two rows of cooperating straightening rolls between which a work sheet enters at one end and is discharged at the opposite end, each row containing a plurality of rolls,

(b) two chocks supporting one of said rows of straightening rolls, each chock supporting a plurality of the rolls in said one row,

(c) said two chocks being pivoted about a common axis, said common axis being substantially in line with the axes of the rolls mounted on each of said chocks,

(d) means to pivotally adjust each of said chocks to regulate the distance between the rolls of said one row on either side of said common axis and the other of said rows of rolls, the adjustment of one chock being made without effecting the adjustment of the other chock, and

(e) further means for adjusting the adjacent ends of said chocks and said common axis to regulate the distance between the two rows of straightening rolls adjacent 4said common axis,

(f) whereby the gap between the leading straightening rolls of said two rows at the entry end and between the last straightening rolls of said two rows at the discharge end may be adjusted independently and the distance between the two rows of straightening rolls adjacent said common axis may be adjusted without substantially affecting the adjusted distance between the end rolls of said two rows at the entry and discharge ends.

3. A panel straightening machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means for pivotally adjusting each of said chocks and said further means for adjusting the adjacent ends of said chocks comprises a plurality of pressed rods pivotally secured to said chocks at the adjacent ends and to the entry and discharge ends respectively, the press rods at the adjacent ends of the chocks being connected to a common central screw jack and the press rods at the entry and discharge ends of the respective chocks each being connected to an outer screw jack.

4. A panel straightening machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein the line of thrust of the screw jack at the discharge end passes through the axis of the end roll at the discharge end of said other row.

5. A panel straightening machine as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a balancing rocker arm interposed between the press rod pivotally connected to the adjacent ends of the two chocks and said common central screw jack, the thrust of the common central screw jack passing through said common axis.

6. A panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet metal comprising (a) two rows of cooperating straightening rolls between which a work sheet enters at one end and is discharged at the opposite end, each row containing a plurality of rolls,

(b) two chocks supporting one of said rows of straightening rolls, each chock supporting a plurality of the rolls in said one row,

(c) vsaid two chocks being pivoted about a common axis, said common axis coinciding with the axis of rotation of one of said straightening rolls in said one row, and

(d) means to pivotally adjust each of said chocks to regulate the distance between the rolls of said one row on either side of said common axis and the other of -said rows of rolls, the adjustment of one chock being made without effecting the adjustment of the other chock,

(e) whereby the gap between the leading straightening rolls of said two rows at the entry end and between the last straightening rolls vof said two rows at the discharge end may be adjusted independently.

7. A panel straightening machine for thin gauge sheet 10 metal comprising (a) two rows of cooperating straightening rolls between which a work sheet enters at one end and vis discharged at the opposite end, each row containing a plurality of rolls,

(b) two chock supporting one of said rows of straightening rolls, each chock supporting a plurality of the rolls in said one row,

(c) said two chocks being pivoted about a common axis, said common axis being substantially in line with the axes of the rolls mounted on each of said chocks,

(d) means to pivotally adjust each of said chocks to regulate the distance between the rolls of said one row on either side of said common axis and the other of said rows of rolls, the adjustment of one chock being made 'without effecting the adjustment of the other chock,

(e) rst means for guiding the entry end of one chock both substantially in the direction of said rows of straightening rolls and substantially perpendicularly thereof, and

(f) second means for guiding the discharge end of the other chock only in the direction substantially perpendicularly to the direction of said rows of straightening rolls,

(g) whereby the gap between the leading straightening rolls of said two rows at the entry end and between the last straightening rolls of said two rows at the discharge end may be adjusted independently.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner 

